Baffle for steam and water separators



Jan. 30, 1945.v J. E. BIERY BAFFLE FOR STEAM AND WATER SEPARATORS Filed March 24, 1942 IN VEN TOR.

Patented J'an. 30, 1945 BAFFLE Fon STEAM AND WATER f sErAnA'roRs John Edward Biery, Jersey City, N. J., yassignor to Combustion Engineering Company, Inc., Newl York, N. Y.

Appucation March 24, 1942, serial No. 435,962

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in steam and water separators of the type mounted in a steam and water drum of a boiler.

In bent tube boilers, the tubes in which thegreatest quantity of steam is generated are often connected into the steam and water drums below the water level therein. Discharge of the steam and water mixture from these tubes causes a violent bubbling and throws water into the steam space above the water level in the drum. Much of this water is carried out lof the drum with the steam through the steam oiitaka so that what is known as wet steam results. Various arrange-y ments of baiiles immersed in the water within the drum have been used to overcome this diillculty.

An objectof this invention is to provide an improved construction of immersed baille for eliminating bubbling within the water and i'r distributing the steam liberated from the water more uniformly throughout the steam space of the drum so as to effect a more thorough separation of the water and producing drier steam.

The invention will be best understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof when read in conjunction with the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a transverse cross sectional view through a steam and water'drum in which the f improved baille is mounted; and

Figure 2 shows a portion of the improved baille on an enlarged scale. f

In Fig. 1 the numeral I0 designates the steam and water drum of a boiler intothe bottom of which steam generating tubes Il, i2 are con` nected in rows arranged longitudinally of the drum below `the normal water level A near the center line of the drum. The mixture of steam and water discharged from these tubes forcesv its way upwardly through the water in the drum and would cause violent bubbling at the water surface A unless means were provided to suppress it. A baille I4 comprising superimposed layers of corrugated sheets i6 and flat, sheets I8 in alternation is removably supported along itsl side edges by angles fastened snugly to the drum to form a seal between the bafle'and drum. The space at the ends of the bailleI I4 may be sealed by imperforate plates (not shown) extending between the baffle ends and the heads of drum ill; or the baille may extend to the drum heads. v This seal precludes a rush of mixture around the edges of the baille which would occur if there were a substantial gap there. l

and two corrugated sheets,` the bottom sheet being corrugated. All are disposed (generally transversely) across the path of steam from the tubes and have perforations 2B yto permit the upward flow of steam and water mixture therethrough. The corrugations arel arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drum .so-that the steam and water currents flowing across` the baffle towards the sides of drum I0 are broken upv and deflected in a general upward direction through the perforations in the baille., In Fig. l, for example, the Vgreater part of the steam vand water mixture is discharged from the tubes ll and the adjacent tubes I2 near the bottom of the drum.

The mixture rises and strikes the baiile substantially at its middle in a stream extending longitudinally of the drum. Thus'there is a relatively strong upward current in the middle vof the drum which encountering an obstruction such as a baffle tends to deflect outwardly toward the sides of the drum.. As this current passes along the bottom of the improved baffle it is skimmed off or divertedupwardly in layers by successive corrugations spaced transversely of the baille ortransversely with respect to the direction of steam ilow,causing the mass of steam to be brokenup and pass up through the baille substantially uni,- formly distributed over its entire area. o

.A relatively'large quantity of steam breaking through a localized area of an ordinary baille wouldV establish a low flow resistance at that location tending to producel a rush of more Vsteam l therethrough. The corrugations of the improved baille resist the ow of such volumes of steam transversely of the corrugations and instead break up and divert the steam upwardly through the baille, thereby acting to prevent its continued flow toward the area of low resistance.

f The baflle is preferably sloped downwardly from the sides of the drum with its lowest po-rtion f located substantially above the tubes that distrusions may be utilized. The baille sheets mayA In the arrangement shown, there are two flat charge the greatest quantity of steam and water. The object of` sloping the baille iS to divide the stream and to aid in its distribution thereby avoiding the possibility of crowding too much through the area of the baille directly above the area of greatest discharge from the tubes.

Corrugated sheets are well adapted to the improved baille construction, buty other constructions such as plates provided with suitable prohave their corrugations or protrusions so arranged as to resist the flow thereover in one or more directions such as either longitudinally or transversely of the drum or to resist the ilow in both directions at once.

The perforations in the sheets are preferably all of the same diameter and the number of perforations in the sheets is varied so that the total free areas in the several sheets decreases in the direction of ow therethrough. The perforatons may also be varied in each sheet so as to cause differentV resistances to flow through certain areas of the sheet.

What I claim is:

1. In a steam and Water drum having generating tubes connected to discharge a mixture of steam and Water below the water level maintained in the drum, and a steam oiltake connected into the drum above the water level therein; a perforated plate immersed in the water in said drum in downwardly inclined relation to the path of the steam flowing from said tubes through said water to said ofitake and having a plurality of corrugations thereon spaced transversely with respect to the direction of steam flow and acting to reduce the flow of the steam across 'the surface of said plate and to deilect the said steam upvvardh7 through said perforations.

2. A separator as defined in claim l wherein said plate is mounted in said drum so as to be inclined downwardly from the sides of said drum with its lowermost point located approximately above the generating tubes discharging the greatest amount of steam and water.

3. In a steam and water drum having generating tubes connected to discharge a mixture ci steam and water below the water level maintained in the drum, and a steam oltake connected into the drum above the water level therein; a baille immersed in the water in said drum comprising a plurality of reticulated flat and corrugated plates disposed in downwardly inclined relation to the path of the steam ilowing from said tubes through said water to said oiftake and arranged in alternation with a corrugated plate lowermost, the corrugations of said plates extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of said drum. n

4. In a steam and Water drum having generating tubes connected to discharge a mixture of steam and water below the water level maintained in the drum, and a steam offtake connected into the drum above the water level therein; a baille immersed in the water in said drum comprising a plurality of reticulated flat and corrugated plates disposed in downwardly inclined relation to the path of the steam flowing from nected into the drum above the water level therein; a baille immersed in the Water in said drum comprising a plurality of reticulated ilat and corrugated plates disposed in downwardly inclined relation to the path of the steam flowing from said tubes through said water to said oitake and arranged in alternation with a. corrugated plate lowermost, the aggregate free area of the reticulations in said plates decreasing in the direction of flow through the baille.

6. In a steam and water separating drum having tubes connected for delivering a mixture of steam and water below the water level therein; a perforated plate immersed in the water in said drum in downwardly inclined relation to said level and provided with parallel corrugations on its bottom face arranged transversely with respect to the current of steam ilowing through the drum adjacent said bottom face.

'7. In a steam and Water separating drum having tubes connected for delivering a mixture of steam and water below the water level therein; a

perforated plate immersed inthe water at saidl drum in downwardly inclined relation to said level and formed with parallel channels on its bottom face, saidchannels being arranged transvversely with respect to the incline and to the current `of steam flowing up the incline adjacent said bottom face. r

8. In a steam and water drum having generating tubes connected to discharge a mixture of steam and water below the water level maintained in the drum, and a steam oiltake connected into the drum above the water level therein; a periorated plate immersed in the water in said drum in downwardly inclined relation to said level with the lowermost portion thereof disposed opposite the tubes 'normally most active in the emission of steam into said drum, said plate having a plurality of corrugations thereon spaced transversely with respect to the direction of steam flow and acting to reduce the flow of the steam acrossthe surface of said plate and to deflect the said steam upwardly through said perfo-rations.

JOHN. EDWARD BIERY. 

